He’d put a plate containing what looked like an egg and cheese omelet near the seat she usually used at the island. A bowl full of some kind of sugary cereal was in Josh’s preferred spot. Fresh fruit, an assortment of baked goods, and coffee completed the meal.
“How long have you been up?” she asked as she sat. Yesterday her grocery order had contained a large assortment of fruit but not a single muffin or cinnamon roll. So either he’d gone out for the ingredients to make them, which she doubted, or he’d made a trip to a local bakery.
“A few hours. I thought you might like breakfast when you got up.” He poured milk into the bowl of cereal. She wasn’t sure what kind he was eating today, but based on the color, it was chocolate flavored. She wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than the marshmallow-laced one he’d eaten yesterday with a side of bacon. “I made the omelet, but the muffins and cinnamon rolls are from Ambrosia.”
She eyed her plate. “Thanks. It looks delicious.” Courtney hoped it tasted as good as it looked, but if it didn’t, she’d never tell him. With her fork, she cut off a corner and tentatively popped it in her mouth. In her opinion, it needed a little more salt, but otherwise the omelet tasted great. “You didn’t make yourself an omelet?”
Josh covered his cereal with slices of banana, as if adding fruit to the bowl would somehow make it any healthier. “Not a big fan of eggs.” He scooped up a spoonful of cereal and popped it in his mouth, then reached for one of the oversized cinnamon rolls.
They’d eaten breakfast together almost every morning in Hawaii. Now that she thought about it, he’d always ordered carb-heavy meals like pancakes and waffles. Various types of breakfast meats had usually accompanied his meals.
“Do you want to split this with me?” He pointed to the bakery treat with his knife.
She knew from past experiences just how tasty the roll was. It was also huge, and she’d never be able to eat an entire one and her omelet. “Sure.”
No sooner did the bakery treat appear on her plate than Courtney cut into it. A rich combination of cinnamon, brown sugar, and icing melted on her tongue. After cutting off another piece, she eyed it and then her omelet. The one Josh had taken the time to make, but she’d barely touched. Rather than enjoy another bite of the cinnamon roll, she returned to the eggs.
“What time do we need to be at your parents’?” Josh asked between mouthfuls of food.
The question barely registered, thanks to the dab of icing on his lips. All she needed to do was lean to the right and she’d be able to lick it off. Who knew where things would go from there?
“Uh, around five.” She started to lean in his direction.
He raised another spoonful of cereal toward his mouth, and she wasn’t sure if she should thank or curse the silly utensil that now stood between her and his lips.
“Do you have any plans until then?” he asked.
“Unless hanging around here and being lazy counts, nope.” Grabbing a napkin, Courtney held it out. “You have icing on your lip.”
Rather than wipe his mouth, Josh licked the icing off. If she suddenly had some of the same sugary goodness on her lip or perhaps another part of her body, would Josh be kind enough to lick it off for her?
“The ice rink opens soon. How do you feel about ice skating this afternoon?”
Located not far from City Hall in Kennedy Plaza, the outdoor rink was used year-round. In the winter people could ice skate or participate in ice bumper cars. During the warmer months, people used the area for a wide range of activities as well. She’d passed by the rink countless times, but she’d never had any desire to visit.
“I don’t own any skates.” She couldn’t remember the last time she slipped on ice skates.
“I checked the website when I got back because I don’t have any here either, and we can rent some there.” Josh selected what appeared to be a blueberry muffin from the assortment and added it to his plate. “We don’t have to go. I just thought it might be fun.”
She’d never been a great skater, but when she’d been younger she usually managed to stay on her feet even if it hadn’t always been pretty. It’d been a long time since she tried though. If she attempted it today, there was a high probability she’d spend most of her time on her butt. Still, it might help cement their charade in the eyes of the public. Not once since they announced their engagement had they been spotted together. If a couple really was in love and about to be married, shouldn’t they be seen together as often as possible?
“It’s been a very long time since I skated, so before we go, it’s only fair to warn you that I’ll probably spend a lot of time falling.”
In the process of buttering his muffin, Josh paused. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you and make sure you stay on your feet.”
Regardless of the weather or the temperature, Josh enjoyed spending time outdoors. Unfortunately, he had done little of it over the past several weeks, and the ice rink had been a stark reminder of that fact when he passed by earlier this morning. Any other time, he would head north and enjoy a few days of skiing. With that ruled out as an option this weekend, an hour or two of skating would get him outside. While he could go alone, he’d much rather have Courtney’s company, something he looked forward to more and more each day.
If given a choice, Josh didn’t get up before eight o’clock, and at the moment he had no place he needed to be each day. Still, he’d set his alarm so he was up in time to enjoy breakfast with Courtney before she left for work. During the day, he found ways to keep himself busy, but she frequently popped into his thoughts. And although the only time he usually sat at home and watched television at night was when he had his daughter with him, he’d looked forward to doing exactly that when Courtney came home since the first night he walked in on her watching old reruns of I Love Lucy. Considering the number of episodes they’d watched together over the past few nights, they’d run out before the month was over and need to find something else to do. Josh knew what he’d like that to be. However, until Courtney reached the same conclusion, he’d enjoy spending time with her in whatever way she’d allow, and at the moment that meant skating around the ice rink in the middle of downtown Providence.
While Josh waited for Courtney to finish lacing up her skates, he glanced around the ice rink. Although it had only opened a short while ago, people of all ages were already moving across the ice. So far, except for when the woman working the skate rental desk flat-out asked if he was J.T. Williamson, he’d remained inconspicuous. However, considering the number of people already here, it was only a matter of time before someone snapped a picture or stopped him and asked for an autograph. And if a picture appeared on the internet, Pauline would be doing backflips of joy. She’d sent him several texts over the past few days telling him the media expected pictures of them together. She’d even suggested they stage some photo ops to keep both his fans and the magazines happy. When it came to his personal life, he didn’t care what the media expected, so he’d made it clear she wasn’t to stage anything. However, he couldn’t control what random people with cell phone cameras did when they were out in public.
“Okay, I’m ready.” She sounded anything but ready.
Standing, Josh held out his gloved hand. “It’ll come back to you. Skating is a lot like riding a bike.” He hoped so, anyway. If not, he might be kicking himself later for suggesting the activity today.
“If you say so.”
She didn’t hesitate to accept his hand as she cautiously came to her feet. She didn’t let go as they made their way onto the ice. He didn’t know if she kept it there because it helped with her balance or because she wanted the physical contact. Either way, he didn’t care. It felt right there.